• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Coning a smoothbore?

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Feb 24, 2019
Messages
1,231
Reaction score
2,055
Location
Central Texas
Anyone have any experience here? I have coned my rifles with no issue.

But as I hunt more and more with my three smoothbores, I dislike using a starter on patched balls.

Both my .62’s like a .600 ball and a .015 patch. 3” groups at 50 when I hold my mouth right.

Any reason I can’t use the coning tool on these as well? Opinions are welcome, experience is appreciated.
 
You could always play around with no patch.

Yup! Done that also. Accuracy drops off just a bit, not a lot. In fact I bare balled my second shot on some hogs and cleanly dropped a second one at about 40 yards.

I rammed a hunk of wasps nest I keep in my bag down on top of the ball to hold it on the powder (I tear them into bore size chunks) and it works very well.

Just looking to get every bit of accuracy out of my smooth rifles with the patch load. I hope to compete with them and run with the big dog rifles in the tall grass.
 
I shoot a loose enough combo in my .58 I can easily thumb start it. Tighter doesn't shoot any better so I figured why bother?
 
Anyone know of an original smoothbore with a coned muzzle?
I’ve never needed a short starter. Always thought of that as a rifle tool.
 
Hunting with Abigail this evening. Pennsylvania ish .62 smooth rifle. Shot pouch is deer skin and was made by Cutfingers, the antler powder measure was a gift from Longpine. Horn is an old one I rescued.

Didn’t see anything this evening.

7795D68A-1A69-4B1F-8208-7573AB4CC46A.jpeg
351EDBB6-80FD-47BD-8F31-A5CC1ADAB3AB.jpeg
6BD9118C-ECF4-45EE-8A65-C4609FB62638.jpeg
 
Brazosland
How much powder charge are you using?
I mentioned in another thread Duelist 1954 runs over 100 grains of powder under his bare ball. He thinks the cone of gases gives more accuracy then lighter charges.
I haven't tried this to the extent he does it in his video's.
Most I have tried in my Northwest Trade Gun with .600 ball is 80 grains and it boots me pretty good.
 
80 of 3F. I’m able to stack balls on top of each other at that charge at 50 yards, so I stopped going up.

So with bare ball he likes even heavier charges? I guess when you figure you are losing a lot of velocity to blow by, maybe that makes sense. Speed helps the smooth bore ball stay strait for longer…

I run a 1/4” dry card over powder, a hunk of wasp nest (I do it in all my guns to keep the lube from the patch away from the powder since my hunting guns stay loaded for a while) and then my patched ball. I like to think I’m getting a pretty good seal behind the ball which increases pressure and velocity.
 
He was using 110gr 2F in his fusil for good results.

I've had good results using bare .600 ball over powder card and 90gr 2F
 
Define “good?”

It’s a relative thing, particularly with smooth bores. I’m getting what I consider rifle like accuracy at 50 yards (2.5”) groups. Not bragging, more like stunned. But I also had the barrel bedded full length, every inch.
 
Hunting with Abigail this evening. Pennsylvania ish .62 smooth rifle. Shot pouch is deer skin and was made by Cutfingers, the antler powder measure was a gift from Longpine. Horn is an old one I rescued.

Didn’t see anything this evening.

View attachment 179739View attachment 179740View attachment 179741
Nice lookin outfit! I have a .54 Kibler smoothie that I coned when I was putting it together, I get 3" groups at 50 yd.s+_ maybe I could get better if I had a better bench, shoot off the side of the back stop at out range. I'm like you, if I don't have to use the starter ....!
 
Back
Top